Pelican Point Sea Scouts learn to Swim and Survive

Inland waterways continue to be a leading location for drowning across Australia, and it's vital that young Australians have access to programs that teach them how to recreate in and enjoy our rivers, lakes and streams safely.

As Royal Life Saving works to ensure this is a reality, 14 Scouts and Cub Scouts recently completed a Swim and Survive on the Swan program at Pelican Point Sea Scouts. This program was the first of its kind to be held at a Sea Scouts venue and was a great success.

The participants ranged in age from 11 to 15, and all worked well with one another through a variety of games, challenges and scenarios. Through this, the participants learnt appropriate survival swimming techniques, how to safely enter the water from different parts of the river, how to identify if the water quality is safe to swim and how to work with others to rescue someone in danger.

The day was broken into both theoretical (on land) and practical (in water) components. Pelican Point Sea Scouts was a great venue to allow for this, with a safe entry point for swimming in the Swan and excellent indoor facilities overlooking the river. Having access to the indoor facilities ensured that participants could learn both the vital skill of CPR and how to manage a range of first aid scenarios that may occur at the river.

This program aligned well with the Sea Scout’s usual water based activities; including sailing, swimming and rowing, ensuring all participants went away knowing how to enjoy these activities safely in inland waterways, and how to act and respond if an emergency situation were to arise.

This Swim and Survive on the Swan program was conducted as part of Royal Life Saving’s Respect the River campaign, which is funded by the Federal Government. Royal Life Saving would like to thank Scouts WA and Pelican Point Sea Scouts for welcoming us to their facility to conduct the program and teach these vital skills to their members.